There’s a new daycare facility in town, and it’s currently accepting enrollment.
Mountain Sprouts Children’s Center, 700 Binter Rd., officially opened on June 24, and the goal is to offer quality and affordable services for ages 0 to 5. The public is invited to see what that entails, said Owner and Director Leanne Smock.
“We are hosting a free, grand-opening party on Aug. 16, so if anyone wants to come and tour the facility, they can do so,” she said. “There will be tacos, face painting and music. So, it will be like a social hour so parents can get to know each other, and then I’ll do a little presentation.”
Anyone wishing to attend should RSVP at pcmountainsprouts.com or call 385-645-4665.
The nearly 4,000-square foot facility includes large classrooms designed for babies, toddlers and preschool ages, Smock said.
“Our infant room can serve up to eight infants, and we have two people on staff taking care of them,” she said. “We have a room for 1 year olds and a room for 2 year olds.”
Mountain Sprouts can facilitate up to 12 2-year-olds, and it currently has 10 enrolled, according to Smock.
“Next Monday we’ll open the classroom for 3-to-5 year olds,” she said. “They will get more into dramatic plays, playing house, construction-zone dress ups, doctors and things like that to figure out what they want to play with. And we don’t expect to have 5 year olds stay with us too long because they usually go into kindergarten.”
In addition to the indoor rooms, Mountain Sprouts includes a backyard that measures close to 1,600 square feet, Smock said.
“We have, what I believe, is the largest playspace for any local daycares, and every classroom has its own door to the yard that is all grass,” she said. “We also do a seasonal gardening program, and next year it will be in full swing.”
Mountain Sprouts’ currently has 27 children enrolled, Smock said.
“So, we’re at 54% occupancy,” she said. “Right now we have five people on staff, and we’ll have a total of eight — two teachers in each classroom.”
Most of the kids are enrolled full time, which is 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, Smock said.
“We do offer one-seat in each classroom for part time enrollment,” she said. “Those can either be for Monday, Wednesday and Friday or Tuesday and Thursday,” she said.
To ensure affordability, Mountain Sprouts offers Upwards scholarships and accepts Department of Workforce Services (DWS) subsidies, Smock said.
“I think (those things are) becoming more trendy with local day care,” she said. “When we started putting this together last year, there weren’t any Upwards scholarships, and very little did DWS. And while there’s a little more paperwork, we thought it would be worth it to have more families stay in Park City.”
The idea to open Mountain Sprouts germinated in Smock’s mind during the 10 years she was a nanny.
“After I turned 30, I felt I reached my peak performance and wondered where I should go from there,” she said. “I saw there was a grant opportunity for Summit County to do a brand-new childcare facility that would also accept DWS. So, I went down that rabbit hole and wound up being the only person in a year-and-a-half to apply.”
Things snapped together when Smock found the “absolutely perfect” space.
“It used to be an office, and it’s been a lot of things — a painting company, dentist office and holistic doctors office,” she said. “Now it’s a daycare.”
Smock is currently talking with her landlord, who owns property next door and on Rasmussen Road, to build and open a state-of-the-art Mountain Sprouts facility that will open in three to four years.
“We’re working with an architect to design children-sized sinks and children-sized toilets to accommodate more children,” she said. “But until then, we are excited to open Mountain Sprouts Children’s Center. Many parents think there isn’t much affordable and available childcare. So, we’re open, and we’re here, and we have spots available.”
Mountain Sprouts Children’s Center Grand Opening Party
• When: 5 p.m., Friday, Aug. 16
• Where: Mountain Sprouts Children’s Center, 700 Bitner Rd.
• RSVP: facebook.com/Mountainsproutschildrenscenter
• Web: pcmountainsprouts.com or facebook.com/Mountainsproutschildrenscenter